


Holding On and Letting Go

by SongofThunder



Series: Zelink Month 2018 from tfloosh [3]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: F/M, how did I do, i used youtube and wikipedia for this, i've never actually played ocarina of time, they're all sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-22 22:21:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15592032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SongofThunder/pseuds/SongofThunder
Summary: She had told him to let go of her, and when had he ever been able to say no?(Day 6 of Zelink Month 2018!)





	Holding On and Letting Go

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Announcing Zelink Month August 2018](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/403965) by tfloosh. 



“Thanks to you, Ganondorf has been sealed inside the evil realm.”

“No,” Link told her, “it was you. You did it all. I just… I just hit things with a sword.”

She shook her head. “All the tragedy in Hyrule was my doing. I was so young… I could not comprehend the consequences. And I dragged you into it, too...”

“It was the best thing that ever happened to me.” A small smile. “What else would I do? Wait in the forest forever for something to happen?”   
“You had friends, and it was peaceful-”   
“Princess, you can’t live your whole life without a little adventure.” He laughed. “And the tragedy is over now. We did it.”   
“Not quite.” Her sweet voice had grown ever softer. “There is something you need to do- you must lay the Master Sword to rest and close the Door of Time.”

She looked away, and he felt his heart almost snap in half. “But by doing so, the road between timelines… will be  _ closed. _ ”

He could hear the crack in his voice. “But isn’t there a way to-”

“Let go, Link.” Zelda’s smile was sad. “You were never meant to be here- that was my fault. You were meant to grow up peacefully, not be locked in the temple for seven years.”

She reached out a slender, gloved hand. “Now, I need you to give the Ocarina to me. As a sage…” This time, it was  _ her _ voice that cracked. “As a sage, I can return you to your original time.”

He hesitated. ~~But when could he ever say no to her?~~

He placed the ocarina carefully in her hand, and she lay another hand atop his.

“When peace returns to Hyrule, it will be time for us to say goodbye.”

“Forever?”

“Yes.” The truth in her voice hurt, so much.

“I can’t- I can’t do that.”   
She was barely audible. “You have to. There is no other way.”

She lifted the Ocarina to her lips and played- the Song of Time, of course.

“Let go.” And then she was gone.

-

He was supposed to be here.

That’s what he told himself.

He was supposed to be here, in his own time, in his own body. Not back there. Not after seven years, with a Zelda he barely knew.

Except he  _ did _ know her. In his very bones he knew her, better than he had known anyone else. Better than Saria, even.

He stared at the sword, looked up at Navi. She didn’t speak, and he sensed she was sad, too. For once she wasn’t yelling at him, or staring at him. All she did was flutter.

He reached for the sword, as he had so long ago, but yanked his hand away. He couldn’t. The sword had fulfilled its purpose, in another time. He felt it thrum, as if it knew; but how could it? It was just a sword. It couldn’t think, or feel, or see.

~~ In another life, he had known that wasn’t true, but how would he know that now?  ~~

He stared at it once more before stepping away, as if from an old friend.

There was something he needed to do.

-

The grass was familiar under his feet; he had walked these steps before. It felt like barely an hour had passed, when it had been more than seven years.

Zelda had told him to let go of her, but how could he? No, he wouldn’t do that, no matter the consequences. He was going to hold on as long as he could until some higher power forced him to let go.

A girl in a dress stood at a window, confused; after all, there was no more Ganondorf. He wondered what she was staring at, when Ganondorf was sealed away.

One more step- a dance to a song he knew by heart, and then, just like she had so long ago (or, just like he remembered-) she turned.

Her eyes were the same as he remembered- the same blue, the same outfit, the same surprised gaze.

He knew her, knew how she was feeling, but he didn’t know if she knew him the same way.

~~ She did. ~~

Well. No time like the present to find out.

“Princess.” His voice cracked, and the light of recognition sparked in her gaze.

A half-smile from her. “We meet again.”


End file.
